“I was born with fetal alcohol syndrome, and I was a heroin-cocaine baby. I learn a little bit slower. It takes me a little longer, but I'm still a person. I heard the ‘R’ word so much in my life and school. It is a swear word. You label jars, not people. Ketchup and mustard are jars. We don't need those kinds of labels. We are people," Bentley said.

“Just spreading the word that people with special needs are exactly like you and I, and they should not be treated differently,” chapter president Leslie Dess said.

At Tosa East, students were asked to sign posters pledging to end the “R” word. More than 1,000 students signed the pledge, making that more than three-quarters of the student body. “It’s really great to see the student body just form together and unite for this cause,” Dess said.